Final Christmas
by Elaxandrius
Summary: Can she survive to see her final Christmas?
1. Stepping Up to the Truth

**Don't own CCS…

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_Chapter 1: Stepping Up to the Truth._

A lone figure stood stiffly, staring out the window at the falling snow. Eyes that used to sparkle with life have dulled into hollow emptiness. One small, frail hand grabbed onto the star locket hanging around her neck. Eyes closing, she began summoning them all.

"Your mistress requires your presence. I call upon thee…Release."

Almost at once, a blinding light engulfed the entire room, rendering any viewers sightless for a moment. Slowly the light faded to reveal human-like figures around the room, waiting. Each one looking at their mistress, concern evidently written in their eyes.

"Yue…Kero, you guys, too." The girl whispered sternly, yet softly.

'Li.' The thought seared into her mind. 'He'll know later. He'll understand. He has to.'

Sensing the last two required presence, she turned to look at each of them. Cards with human emotion and forms. They had guarded her well. But, now, it was time to face the truth. Sighing, she began.

"Before I begin, I'd like to thank you all for all you've done. As you all can sense, my power that has been sustaining you has dimmed. It will continue to dim unfortunately." She paused at the surprised gasps. "If I can't support you with my power, then you shall cease to exist, and I cannot allow that to happen."

"What's wrong, mistress?"

"What happening to you?"

"I'm dying." That simple statement brought the whole world to a stop. Those two words shattered the hearts of two guardians.

"I don't have much time left. I'll be lucky if I see it through to the next Christmas. But I'm not worried about. I'm worried about you guys. When I'm… gone, you'll need someone to keep you alive. Someone strong… someone like…" Her voice faded as another picked up where she left off.

"Someone like Li." At her nod, he continued. "Impossible. You passed the judgment, he did not. The cards belong to you, and you alone, Sakura."

Sakura smiled softly. "It is possible, Yue. He is my other half, making him the master to the cards as I am their mistress. My control is his control."

"That's no the way it works, Sakura!" Kero exclaimed.

"He and I are one, Kero. It works."

"We understand, mistress." Light and Dark spoke as one for the others. With that said, the cards began returning to their original forms.

"But Sakura…" Kero began, but a knock at the door interrupted him.

"Li's here." Yue said quietly and calmly as he stared at Sakura.

Sakura walked towards the door. Taking a deep breath, she pulled open the door only to find herself drowning in a pair of warm brown orbs that blinked innocently at her.

"Hey." His deep, smooth voice washed over her like a comforting blanket.

"Come on in, Syaoran. I need to tell you something."

Li looked worriedly at her and stepped within the house. With that, the door closed and a new challenge began.

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**How was it? Should I continue? **


	2. Hopeful Wishing

**A.N.: well, here's the second chapter in the story. sorry it took so long, but i am in the process of righting the wrongs in my life and i'm praying that the updates won't take as long. however, if you are a college student, you will know exactly what i mean when i say that the studies do take a toll on my mental ability. for this story, i do not know how the ending will be like nor do i know if i want it to be one of those 'happily ever after' stories. i have alternate endings written up (i know, i know. what the hell's wrong with me...), but altogether, it depends on the course of the fic. Thank you for your patience. Enjoy!**_

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Chapter 2: Hopeful Wishing

"No!" an angry voice barked, leaving an echo repeating the word hauntingly.

"Listen to me, Syaoran. Please, just listen."

"No! It's not true! It can't be true. Tell me it isn't, Sakura. This is all a joke, right?"

Sakura could only close her eyes against the desperation in his voice. What he wanted, for the first time, she couldn't give.

"You're only eighteen. You can't die yet. You can't leave me behind, not like this. You promised, Sakura. You promised me!"

"I know what I promised you! You think this was easy for me! I'm dying! I don't want to, but it was the hand that fate dealt me. There's nothing I can do about it."

"Chemotherapy, Sakura. Do it. That may help you. You'll live… you have to." his voice trailed off into silence.

"Syaoran. It won't help me. By the time they found out about the cancer, it was already too late. Chemo may have helped in the beginning, but there's still a chance that I'll fall with the relapse. I'm sorry." Sakura whispered quietly as she stared out the window.

Arms found their way around her waist, bringing her back against a warm chest. Li placed his head on top of hers and nuzzled her hair. Silence overpowered them for a few more minutes as both tried to cope with the reality of things.

"You can't leave me behind, Sakura. I don't want to let you go. I don't wanna lose you, love."

Placing her hands on top of his, she sighed.

"I don't want to let you go either. But it's a truth we'll both have to face… a truth I've learned to accept."

Once again, the silence blanketed the room as the two lovers stood, embracing, staring into the night.

"Syaoran?"

"Yeah?" was the soft reply.

"Promise me?"

"Promise you what, love?"

Sakura turned in his arms to stare into his eyes.

"Promise me you'll take care of the cards…"

"You're not dying, Sakura. The cards are…"

"Syaoran. Please, just listen?" At his nod, she continued. "Promise me you'll take care of the cards when I die. Promise me you'll sustain them. As I am their mistress, the day we became one is the day you became their master. Promise me you'll take on the proper role of their master when they become yours to call on and that you'll change them to carry your name. But most importantly, promise me that you'll never forget me, but you'll move on to find happiness no matter what happens."

Syaoran could only stare into the emerald orbs as her words settled in his mind. The pleading undertone in her voice had nearly shattered his heart. But what truly did him in was the love for him he saw shining in her eyes.

"…I promise." And with that whisper, he knew he had sealed, not only his fate, but accepted her death as well.

Placing her head on his chest, Sakura allowed herself to be lulled by the pattern of his heartbeat. Wrapping her arms around his waist more securely, she blinked back the tears.

In the silence of the night, the two lovers stood in the hold of each other, gathering what little strength they had left to face the harsh reality. One cursing the fates for such a cruel damnation; one relishing in the comforting aura of their partner; but both praying for tomorrow to never arrive.

'I love you, Syaoran. So very much.'

'Please, don't take her away. I don't wanna lose her. Please, don't leave.'

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**A.N.: Well?**


	3. Revelations

**A.N.: …must you remind me that I don't own the characters…. sobs

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_Chapter 3: Revelations_

It's been a month since I told them the news. A month of pure torture that would haunt my sleeping moments. I feel things falling apart and I'm not talking about my health either. I can sense it. They're all worried and scared. But so am i. I can't stand that they're so… so jumpy around me. Even my brother won't joke around me anymore. I didn't want things to change. I didn't want to be treated any differently and I still don't.

It pains me to know that I'm hurting them with this. I never thought that things would end up like this. I mean, here I am, the girl who fought and captured all the Clow cards and became their mistress. The girl who passed the judgment and the challenge Eriol threw out. The girl who survived all that… and now… now I'm finally losing.

But then again, maybe this was a fight that I was never supposed to win. This may have been my final path to take… my final challenge. And this may have been the time I finally fell…

For the last month and a half since I've first accepted what fate threw at me, I've been wondering about what I did to deserve this. I thought that I was okay with this… that I could handle this, but I was wrong. I don't want to die! I finally found the other half of my heart and now it's still being taken away from me. It's not fair!

I don't want to leave them… I don't want to leave him. I don't want to lose him. Why? Why now? Why me! Damn it! Why couldn't they let me have this… just this? I don't care about anything else; I just want this. That's all…

… I gotta go. Tomoyo's here. We're getting together for lunch today. Talk to you soon.

Sakura

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**A.N.: I'm back with the next chapter. For now, this is the only story I'll be working on. I hope you all like this story.**


	4. Heartbreak

**A.N.: …must you remind me that I don't own the characters…. sobs

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_Chapter 4: Heartbreak_

May 4, 2005

She's getting weaker. With each passing week, I can see the difference. Though her smile still lights up the world, her eyes no longer shines as bright. She grows paler, more thin each day. And it hurts to see her like this. For a young girl – no, a young woman – to watch her health fail her like this with every passing month, it's unreal.

I can't imagine life without her in it. I've watched her grow from a little baby, and it's hard to think that she's dying. I've been there to welcome her into this world, and now… now, I have to watch her suffer. How cruel ca this world be?

I remember being her knight in shining armor when we were younger. I'd battle the closet monster in her room, fight away the shadows in her room, and scare away the monsters living under her bed. I still remember when, at the age of three, she'd totter her way to my room and climb into my bed because the thunder terrified her. And now, even though we're older, she's still my baby sister… and I don't want to lose her. Not yet.

She brought me a brightness in my world and she showed me the pathway to my happiness. She helped open my eyes to see that what I've been looking for have always been in front of my face. She brought me and my Yukito together, and I thank her eternally for that. I pick on her like there's no tomorrow, but she's my world.

I lost my mother when I was younger, and now, I'm about to lose my sister. This isn't fair! She has yet to being her life. She can't leave yet. I can't lose her to this. I'd rather lose her to… to Li. At least that way, I know she's alive and happy. I'd give my life for hers if it'll save her. I'd give anything to save her. Anything…

Touya

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**A.N.: Well?**


	5. Denial

**A.N.: …yay! finally an update! lol... anywho, don't own them, just the story...

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_Chapter 5: Denial_

July 15, 2005

No! This is not how it is suppose to play out! This was not to be her fate. Her destiny was to sustain the cards to the end of her natural days and then pass them onto her children. The legacy was to continue through her children, her and Li's children, the children infused with both their blood and spirits. It was not suppose to be like this! I say it! I swear I saw it!

She still has so much to live for… so much life within her. Surely, the fates could not be so cruel as to snuff out the flame before it has gotten a chance to burn through the wick of a candle. They must have been mistaken when the strings of her destiny had been measured. It cannot be her time yet.

I owe her so much, this card mistress, that I have lost count. She has melted the ice surrounding one of my most loyal companions' heart, brought out the protective side of everyone, sustained the cards for as long as she could, gave me friends, brought meaning back into my life… but most of all, she gave me the other half of my soul: Tomoyo.

If not for Sakura, I would have never felt the happiness I feel now. Her matchmaking gave me the chance to love and be loved in return. For bringing me Tomoyo, I owe her everything. She's just begun her life with the person she's meant to love, the person meant to love her… it should not be her time yet.

Though I do not wish to acknowledge the fact that her health is, indeed, failing with each passing month, I cannot deny it any longer. Her power over the cards is faltering. I can feel it. Yue and Kero can feel it as well. I'm afraid that her time grows closer… and soon, Li would be the one controlling them…

Eriol

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**A.N.: Well? Told you I've been working on it… These chapters will not be as long as the final few chapters… probably the last three, beginning with Li's chapter. **


	6. Lost

**Disclaimer: Don't own characters. Do own the plot line in this story though… that's worth something, right?

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_Chapter 6: Lost_

August 10, 2005

Oh God! It's really happening! We're truly losing Sakura. She's entered the hospital last night and the doctors are telling us to be prepared. I don't want to be prepared, damn it! I don't want to lose my best friend. She can't leave me alone in this world. She promised. I told her that a few days back and she merely smiled at me. She said that she kept her promise… has always kept her promise. She said that her promise has been completed; that her promise came in the form of Eriol. She said that she's not leaving me alone… she's just going away for a while and that she's leaving me with Eriol for the time being.

This morning, when we were allowed to go in and see her, she's still smiling. She held me as I cried, all the while whispering that we'll meet again… that our friendship would continue no matter what happens or where she is. I screamed. I yelled. I demanded that she gets better. But she can't. She won't be there for my wedding. She won't be there for my children. And she won't be there for me anymore.

She's my best friend… the one who's been there for me through thick and thin. She's been the constant in my life for as long as I can remember. How would I continue if she leaves? What would our lives be like when she… when she… _dies_? She may not know it, but she's the light in our group of friends. She is the one that keeps the darkness at bay. What will happen to us when our light fades away?

In all my life, she has never let me down once. And she still hasn't. I owe her my happiness. She brought Eriol to me. She gave me love. She gave me my life back… a life to call my own. And now, she's about to lose her own. It isn't fair!

Tomoyo

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**A.N.: Okay…? **


	7. Darkness

**Disclaimer: Don't own characters. Do own the plot line in this story though… that's worth something, right?

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_Chapter 7a: Darkness_

September 5, 2005

We're losing her fast. Her will has weakened. Her hold on the cards have begun to diminish. All I can sense now is the power signature of Li. Hers are fading, and soon, it won't even be there anymore. Soon it will seem as if her signature had never even been there.

But even when her aura on the cards and us disappears completely, her memory will continue to run through our minds and our hearts. Her legacy will live… through us, and through Li. But the thought of losing her… it pains me so much. After accompanying her for so long on this journey, I can't seem to accept the fact that she won't be there any longer. Did I feel like this when Clow Reed became lost to us? I do not think so.

As I sit here, putting my thoughts onto paper, she's sleeping… been doing a lot of that lately. Her even breathing is the only thing that tells me she's still here… that she's still with us. What am I going to do when she's gone?

I'll miss her so much. Her bed will soon lose her scent, as will the rest of her things. And I'll lose my mistress as well. It's such a cruel world…

Kero

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**A.N.: A bit short, isn't it?**


	8. Bound

**Disclaimer: Don't own characters. Do own the plot line in this story though… that's worth something, right?

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_Chapter 7b: Bound_

September 16, 2005

Death. The one opponent a person must admit defeat to regardless of who you are. It had never truly bothered me much, this one mere word. Affected me terribly when Clow Reed died, yes. But never had it truly bothered me until now… until it came for Sakura.

Sakura, a sweet, young child who became an extraordinary woman. Sakura, the child who had to grow up too soon. The girl whom I had judged, then deemed worthy to hold power of the cards. And the woman whom I've come to respect, not just as the card mistress, but as a friend as well.

So sad that a life which has barely begun to bloom must be cut off. I admit, the news had come as an unpleasant surprise. She's the girl – no, not girl any longer, but a woman now – who faced so many challenges and had come out on top of things. She fought, captured, and turned the final card Clow had created and locked away, deeming it too dangerous to be set free. And she found true love during the same battle.

My human half, Yukito, seems to be in denial of Sakura's approaching death. I can sense his sorrow and unwillingness to accept it. Almost as much as I can sense his better half's denial of his sister's failing health. She's grown on Yukito immensely as of late. He sees her as a younger sister who needs all the protection she can possibly get. Well, considering the fact that my human half is joined in all but name to Touya, there's not helping it.

Yes, Sakura has grown on me as well, it seems. Fondness, an emotion I'd rather not admit to having, is definitely something I have for our dear card mistress. It will be devastating to watch her life force diminish, just as devastating it has been to watch her suffer for the last few months.

As Kero has spoken to me about, her power signature has dimmed to an almost unnoticeable rate. Li's signature has begun to overpower her control over the cards completely. And I have no doubt that within the next month, she will no longer be mistress to the cards.

The cards are restless for they can sense the oncoming changes as well. Yet I cannot help but feel that things are not what they appear to be. The future has been blurred… nothing is permanent anymore.

Yue

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**A.N.: Told you it gets longer... at least I think it does... Anyhow, three more chapters to go... whoo hoo!**


	9. Final Words of the Condemned

**Disclaimer: Don't own characters. Do own the plot line in this story though… that's worth something, right?

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_Chapter 8: Final Words of the Condemned_

October 25, 2005

The end is just around the corner. I can feel it. I have officially lost all hold on the cards three days ago. Syaoran is now the master of the cards, though they do still keep me company everyday within the confinements of the hospital. The day my hold over them was relinquished, they had surrounded me in their warm light. It was their farewell to Kinomoto Sakura and I knew it. And I embraced it whole-heartedly.

I gave everyone a fright five days ago when I had an attack. Wouldn't wake up for two days straight, according to the doctors. When I had crawled my way back to the realm of the living, Syaoran gained full control of the cards and the long-time ritual had finally come to an end.

Kero stays by my bedside everyday, just like Syaoran does. Apparently the attack had showed them that it could happen at any given time – not like they didn't know that before – and had cause them to stay with me stubbornly. Kero even gave up on his ever-lasting quest for sweets to become a bedside companion… full-time.

Syaoran has become my unwavering vigilant these last few months. As touching as it was in the beginning, I have become concerned about the dark shadows under his eyes. He's becoming thinner as well. Seems as if he's suffering from the disease just as I am. I had told him to go home to rest and eat, but every time I bring up the idea, he stares at me. His excuse for not leaving: 'Any minute could very well be the last. I couldn't forgive myself if I left you when that moment comes. I won't.' Now, how could I argue after that statement?

Tomoyo, Eriol, Yukito, Touya, father, and many more people have visited me frequently in the last couple of months. Of course, the others were not daily routine visitors like family members and close friends, but it is nice of them to see me every week. Although, I can almost swear to hearing Kero and Syaoran both growling at the other visitors when they stand too close to my bed. Odd… but it's nice of them to finally get along with each other.

Somehow, I have a feeling that this will be my last and final entry in this journal the nurses had set up for everyone at the beginning of my battle. Each entry done by a different person, yet all written within the same book. Never read by anyone but the writer of the entry themselves. I must admit to it's help. No cooped up emotions. Not bad, eh?

My body's growing weaker with each passing day and darkness has begun to creep around me, waiting to pull me in. And soon, it will succeed.

I no long fight the oncoming death. Instead, I find myself welcoming it with opened arms if it will prevent anymore pain from happening on those I hold dearest. They've suffered alongside me during the year and it's enough. If my dying now would spare them anymore suffering, then so be it. A year of suffering is enough, don't you think?

But the one holding me back… preventing me from seeking death out is my Syaoran. After what we went through to get to where we are, I'm not ready to let it go. I doubt I ever will. However, if let go I must, then I shall wait until the day arrives when he can join me. No matter how long, I'll wait. He's my other half, so how can one move on without their other half? It's simply impossible. I love him. and should anyone end up reading this, I can only say 'live everyday of your life as if it were you last. For if you don't, and when the last does come, you won't have a life worth looking back on.'

Sincerely yours,

Kinomoto Sakura

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**A.N.: How's that for a good-bye letter?**


	10. Lifeline to Flatlined

**Disclaimer: Don't own characters. Do own the plot line in this story though… that's worth something, right?

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_Chapter 9: Lifeline to Flatlined_

November 29, 2005

She's been in a coma for the past month and a couple of days now. The doctors have told us to be prepared for the fact that this might be the one she wouldn't awake from. But they've said that the past few times, so they could be wrong as well this time. Christmas is in a month and I know she was determined to see it through to that day. She's so close now… to both death and her goal.

The cards are mine as much as they are hers still. That allows me some hope, no matter how small. Hope is hope, right? What else can we do now but hope for the better?

With each day that passed and she grows worse, my heart shatters just a bit more. The rope has been thinned to a simple thread that's holding her here with us. So easily breakable; so unpredictable in its every action. Would it be able to hold her to us long enough to let her heal? I can only hope.

The heart monitor they've hooked her up to does little to comfort me. If anything, its made me more stressed and terrified. Every beep has me holding my breath in fear that it may change into the dreaded long sound that signifies her death. Every silence gives me relief and a hold on my sanity. Her breathing now depends on the tube forced down her slim throat. Machines are the only things keeping my dearest love alive now.

I can't let her go. She's my world, my everything. If she dies, my world ends and where would that leave me? An empty shell of the man I once was? The cards won't let me follow her into eternal bliss until I've found a worthy successor to pass them onto. A hard place and a rock I seem to find myself stuck between.

Dare I say good-bye to Sakura? Never! If given the option, I would hold onto the hellos for as long as I possibly can. As they say, good-byes are the hardest. In this case, it's damn near impossible. She's mine and I refuse to let her leave me. I love her. That counts for something, right? I came back for her and it was the best choice I've ever made.

If forced to choose between Sakura and my family, I believe I'd choose her. She's my future and my family's my past. What kind of fool would forsake their future for their past? The past three years have been both the best and the worst. The first two years were heaven for me. The past year was when things fell apart and I lost my paradise to purgatory.

If she dies, I will be neither dead nor will I be alive. I'll just exist. Going from day to day, night to night, waiting. Waiting until the day I can see my Sakura again. Waiting until I can find my heavenly paradise once more. Waiting…

Even now, as I sit here writing this, she's fighting what could very well be her final battle behind me. And there's nothing I can do to help her. Damn! What did I ever do that was so wrong that I'd have to lose her as a punishment? What did she ever do that she needs to suffer like this? I'd walk away if that would let her live… I swear I would. If she'd only live. At least that way I could watch her from afar.

Mei Lin arrived just two days before Sakura fell into her comatose state and hasn't left her bedside since. The tear tracks on her cheeks have long since dried up, but everyday her eyes would fill up with fresh tears… none of them ever falling. According to her, there's no point in letting the tears fall if the one you're crying for can't cry with you. That's not true. I've shed my tears when the two of us are alone. Sakura was the first to ever see my tears and she'll be the last as well.

She's my weakness as well as my strength. A deadly combination, but true nonetheless…

… I wonder why the doctors are in here again. Oh, shit! She's flatlined!


	11. Final Goodbyes

**Disclaimer: Don't own characters. Do own the plot line in this story though… that's worth something, right?

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_Chapter 10: Final Goodbyes_

"Today, we are all gathered here to say our farewells to an extraordinary young woman. Her soul outshined any stars out there in the universe, even in the darkest of times. Her love embraced those who were lucky enough to know her. She was my best friend, the best kind of best friend there is, and she will always hold that position in my heart. She was destined for great things from the very beginning. Her life as a young girl was lived fully, lived to its limits, and she learned to live with no regrets. She's taught me so many things concerning life, concerning me," a quick glance to the person next to her, "and about love. She's truly an angel sent from above who guided me every step of the way and lit a lighted path to help me find my own happiness. For that, I will be eternally in her debt." The voice faded as she sat back down and another stood to speak.

"She's my sister… the only one I've ever had. I've watched her grow into the beautiful, young lady you all knew. And I've never been more proud to call her my sister as I am now. I picked on her relentlessly, but that was my duty as her older brother. Ever since her birth, I've always known that she was special… that she wasn't what any of us would call _normal_. But then again, neither am I." A slight chuckle escaped as tears pooled in his eyes. "I'm not going to say much because everyone else has said it already. But I do want to say that, although I seemed to be against her relationship with Li… with Syaoran… I couldn't have picked a better person for her to love.

He loves her truly and I can see that now. He kept her happy and that's enough for me. But as I stand here today, in front of all of you, I realize that I've been blind. They're two halves of a soul and it didn't matter if I approved or not. They loved each other. They balance one another. She was his light as he was her dark. You can't have one without the other. It doesn't work that way." An intake of breath. "Now, Syaoran would like to say a few words."

"Thank you all for coming today. It means a lot to me… and I know it does to Sakura, too. She's my world, my everything, and she'll always be. I won't find another one like her and I refuse to look. My heart has been captured by her and I don't want it back. It's hers to keep for eternity, just as her is mine to keep.

Everyone sitting here today knows of our story, Sakura's and mine. At some point, I believe you've even experienced with us. Our love was one that bloomed from supposed hate and rivalry; that's how it began. But once a person gets over that, you'll find something better… something more real.

The past year and a half has been one filled with hardships, challenges, heartbreaks, and acceptance. Acceptance for each other as well as acceptance for death. And during this time period, my love for Sakura has grown even more, as well as my determination to stand by her for as long as I can." A quick glance was spared to the people around him before his eyes landed on the one person whom he would give his life up for. A small, content smile formed on his lips as he spoke his last words.

"I love her. Truly, madly, and deeply."

A moment of silence fell amongst the crowd as the speaker sat back down in his seat. All eyes, however, soon went back to the podium where Touya once again stood to speak.

"And so, with that said, we'll say our final farewells to Kinomoto Sakura on this clear summer day…

… and hello to Li Sakura. She fought and won the battle that's haunted her for the better part of the last two years. May the newlyweds have an eternity of love, happiness and many, many more Christmases surrounded by those they love and those who love them back."

Cheers erupted throughout the banquet hall where the reception was held as the blushing bride embraced her brother. Two pair of eyes met, one brother and one husband, as an unspoken understanding was formed.

Love and many Christmases indeed.

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**A.N.: And that's the end for Final Christmas. Thank you to all who have stood by me through this journey and I hope that you've enjoyed this story.** sorry, found spelling errors in here so I had to change things. 


	12. A Sneakpeek Into the Future

**Disclaimer: Don't own characters. Do own the plot line in this story though… that's worth something, right? **

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_Chapter 11: A Sneak-peek Into the Future_

December 24, 2007

Amazing. Simply amazing. Almost two years since the doctors had said that she wasn't going to make it. Two years since the doctors told them that she wouldn't make it to see Christmas. Now she's seen two more after that year and she's still going on stronger. They had told them to give up and be prepared to say good-bye. They nearly had.

It still brings chills to my spine to think how close they came to losing her. So near death's door was she that they had lost her for a while. Three entire weeks of watching her systems slowly shut down, one after the other. Three full weeks of waiting for the dreaded end, knowing that there was nothing they could do to prevent her from slipping. Three damning weeks of desperation, tears, and pain.

To this day, I can still hear the cries of utmost pain that enveloped the hospital room the day she fell into her fatal comatose state. Tomoyo and Mei Lin sobbed themselves into exhaustion; Touya and his father fell into a deeper state of denial; Yukito had refused to take control, thus forcing Yue to take his place; Kero had desperately promised everything as long as she stayed and lived. The poor creature wouldn't leave her side, or her neck, since then. Syaoran… well, it hit him the hardest and the worst, I suppose. Damned near fell into a coma himself.

He had shut down completely. Refusing comfort, food, rest… everything. Day-in and day-out, he stayed by her bedside, holding onto her hand as if that would keep her with him. in the end, Touya and Yue had no choice but to bodily pull him away from the hospital room. That lasted all of three hours, long enough for him to shower and change, before he was at her bedside once more. He even went as far as locking himself within the room to stay with her. In the end, I guess that's what had saved her.

She heard his cries, felt his pain, and held on. His determination to keep her paid off, because in the end, he did get to keep her. From what I know, or at least what I can tell you, is that his love for her was a strong enough bond to hold her back. His love was the only thing that kept her from moving forward into the abyss. The bond had been created between them years before, and at the time of her illness, his side had been the strong point while hers weakened. But as her love brightened, her will to fight also strengthened, thus enabling the bond to solidify into a state that probably saved her life. She held on long enough for the transplant to take place.

As Lady Luck would have it, they had found a match for her that previous night and it was said to have arrived the morning her heart abruptly gave out. Fate was apparently unhappy with Death for ruining their plans because a few seconds later, it began again. Slower, but beating. It gave the doctors enough time to operate. Of course, I've no doubt that the cards may have had a hand in reviving her that day. Like Touya had said, Skaura's special.

Yue was right in his observation that the future had been blurred. Officially, Kinomoto Sakura was destined to die that day. But a person can have multiple destines, can they not? She fulfilled one, but there were still others left. Technically, Kinomoto Sakura did die that day, and from her ashes, like a phoenix, came Li Sakura, a woman with a path never before walked ahead of her and a lifelong partner to walk it with.

My daughter could not have found a better person to love than her husband.

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**A.N.: I just had to add this in. Took me a while to think things through, but I decided that it couldn't hurt. Thank you for reading '_Final Christmas_'. I hope that it was worth it and that you enjoyed your read.**


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